A stunning strike from Daniel Podence was enough for Wolverhampton Wanderers to beat West Ham United in a crucial match at the rear of the Premier League table.
The opening 45 minutes was a dull affair at Molineux. Vladimir Coufal came closest with a weak low driven shot, but it looked like it was heading wide before it was cleared away. Both sides knew they needed to improve if they wanted to win three crucial points.
The match kicked into life in the second half. An exquisite counter-attack from Wolves shocked West Ham. From it, the hosts took the lead through Podence. The winger latched onto the ball superbly, before placing his shot into the bottom right corner.
West Ham threw everything forward to try and get an equaliser, but they were unable to do so.
The result leaves the East London side in the relegation zone, with pressure significantly building on manager David Moyes.
Meanwhile, Wolves' fine form under Julen Lopetegui continues, with it likely to only get better once the new signings have integrated within the squad.
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Story of the Match
The hosts made five changes from their Carabao cup defeat midweek. Most notably, Matheus Cunha and Ruben Neves came into the starting eleven, with the Brazilian making his first start for the club.
Meanwhile, the visitors made three changes from their FA Cup win against Brentford last weekend, with Pablo Fornals, Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell coming in.
It was a lively start from Wolves, with Cunha being denied from a late block in the box by Nayef Aguerd.
As the game fell into its pattern, it was Matheus Nunes who was next to test the goalkeeper. The midfielder curved a shot towards the bottom right corner, but it was comfortably saved by Lukasz Fabianski.
The opening 25 minutes was a dull affair at Molineux. Both sides failed to challenge the opposition defences, with Michail Antonio's penalty appeal the only talking point for a long spell. Wolves controlled the early period of the match with 68% possession, but they were failing to make effective use of the ball in the final third.
Neves was the brightest spark in Wolves' side. In quick succession, he had a shot deflected towards Fabianski, before trying an audacious volley, however his effort went high of the net.
The first major chance came in the 30th minute, as Coufal had an effort cleared away from the six yard box. An inviting cross from Lucas Paqueta fell perfectly to the full-back - his low driven shot beat Jose Sa, but not Hugo Bueno.
As the half-time whistle blew, both sets of fans seemed disappointed with their performances. It was lacklustre match in the Midlands, with both sides failing to create consistent chances.
Finding the crucial goal
Early on in the second half, the visitors played with intent as Antonio had a shot deflected out for a corner.
However from the corner, Wolves created a slick counter-attack. Nelson Semedo and Nunes combined down the right flank, the midfielder whipped in a low cross into the box which was cleared away by the visitors. However, the clearance fell directly to Podence, who placed a low driven shot into the bottom right corner.
Podence has now scored three goals in his past four league matches under Julen Lopetegui.
With the match having huge consequences for the relegation battle, West Ham knew they needed a strong reaction.
Despite this, the visitors failed to increase their tempo in the minutes after. Said Benrahma came on for Tomas Soucek in an attempt to find the golden equaliser.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Neves struck the underside of the bar with a spectacular curling shot towards the top right corner. The rebound fell to Rayan Ait Nouri who also hit the woodwork, before Neves blazed the following shot over the bar. It was a sensational sequence of football, which very nearly secured victory for the hosts.
In desperate need of a goal, David Moyes subbed on Gianluca Scamacca in the 76th minute. It shocked many to see him subbed on so late, considering his goal-scoring record.
As time began to run out, Moyes' men continued to search for an equaliser. Nevertheless, Wolves were holding firm with their resilient defence. Scamacca came close in the dying minutes with a header, but he could only direct it wide.
Six minutes were added on and the Hammers threw everything forward. However, despite placing crosses into the box consistently, they were unable to find the much-needed equaliser.
Raul Jimenez thought he had secured victory with a delicate chip, but he was fractionally offside in the build-up.
In the end it did not matter, with Wolves securing a crucial win for their survival hopes. West Ham drop into the relegation zone, whilst Wolves jump their opponents into 16th place.
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Player of the Match
It was a game of little quality, so choosing the standout player was a challenge in itself.
But, match-winner Podence was key to the victory. The winger's goal was a delicate finish into the bottom corner, which proved to be the only difference between the two sides.
The winger is in fine form, and Lopetegui will hoping the form can continue for their survival hopes.
